Toy golf game



Feb. 16 1926. 1,573,415 B. P. MENDES ET AL TOY GOLF GAME Filed March 9, 1925 Patented Feb. 16, 1926.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BEAM P. MENDES AND JACOB LUDWIG LAHNERS, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

TOY GOLF GAME.

Application filed March 9, 1925. Serial No. 14,018.

United States and Germany, respectively,

residing at New York city, borough of Manhattan, in the county of NewYork and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Toy Golf Games, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to games or toys adapted for indoor use or to games requiring generally but limited space for the practice thereof and a relatively small degree of muscular activity.-

Among the objects of this invention is to provide'a game or toy in the practice where of a ball is utilized and novel means is provided for actuating said ball in any predetermined way according to the desire of the operator and. particularly to provide a device of this character adapted for the playing of an indoor game of golf.

With the foregoing and other objects in View the invention consists in the arrangement and combination of parts hereinafter described and claimed, and while the invention is not restricted to the exact details of construction disclosed or suggested herein, still for the purpose of illustrating a practical embodiment thereof reference is had to the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters designate the same parts in the several views, and in which- Figure 1 is a plan view of the toy.

Fig.2 is a vertical section of the device about on the broken line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a view of a portion of ball-returning mechanism in operated position.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1 showing theprojector in elevation.

Fig. 5 is a plan view showing the method of mounting the ball projector means.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, 10 represents a field having a suitable marginal means for limiting the movement of a ball to the region of the field such as a flang or guard 11. Said field is suitably inclined to cause the automatic rolling of said ball from one end of the field to the other end thereof, a miniature player 12 being stationed at the lower end of said field to receive said ball when the same comes rolling downthe field toward him, suitable guide means being provided to properly diinstance the tapering flanges or guards 13 which converge toward the player. Said field is supported in any suitable manner as by means of the legs let and 15 and at the portion of the device adjacent to the player.

Said field is provided with suitable means at the ends thereof for receiving and retaining a ball temporarily against movement such as the holes 16 at the upper end of the field and a depression 17 in the lower end thereof adjacent to the player.

The player is provided with means for driving a ball forward on the field to be received within the holes or pockets 1G, and if the game to be played is golf, said means takes the form preferably of a golf club 18 which is mounted upon the player for lilting and swinging movement, so as to strike a ball lying in the pocket 17 in a'manner analogous to that practiced by a golf player. While the apparatus is not dependent upon any special rules or directions for playing, it may be understood that the holes 16 may be thought of ashaving different numerical values to be used in running up a score. Said actuating means or golf club is provided with a head 19 at the lower end thereof which may be made of metal, and is fixedly mounted upon a stem or member 20. to which it may be secured, said stem being preferably freely rotatable within the body of the player, and projecting to provide a handle 21 to enable theoperator to cause said club to swing for striking the ball with any desired force as determined by the skill of the operator. The weight of the club is determined to automatically return the same thereof by the operator and constitutes at the same time a barrier for the ball as the same comes rolling down the field. The stem 20 is likewise freely slidable lengthwise within its bearing thus permitting the club 18 to be varied in its lateral relation to the player, as when the operator grasps the handle 21 to swing said club.

For permitting still greater variation in the manipulation of the ball and particularly to provide for a degree of angular adjustment of the throw of the ball to permit the operator to strike the same into any portion of the field, said club is mounted so as to be rotatable about a vertical axis,

and this is preferably accomplished by mounting the player for pivotal rotation about a vertical axis in any suitable manner as upon a pin 22, means being provided to limit the rotation of the player such as a stop pin 23 secured to the player and having co-operation with a slot 24 in the field.

When a ball has been caught in a pocket 16, the same is removable by mechanism located beneath the field and arranged so as to lift the ball and thereby permit the same to roll down thefield toward the player. Said mechanism comprises a substantially fiat release member 25 supported upon a lever 26 as upon the pivot means 27 near an end of the member 25, the other end of said member resting upon said lever as at 28 so as to lie in substantially parallel relation to said field. Said lever is pivotally mounted at 29 and is arranged to rest in its unoperated position upon the base supporting surface 30. In order to operate said release member, an operator actuates the lever by depressing the projecting end theredf in the direction of arrow a, thus causing said'release plateto first abut against the field at the end thereof adjacent to .the

pivot 27 and finally to tilt about said pivot 'through the abutment aforesaid to cause the rest of said member to tilt into contact with said field to release a ball which may be caught in any of the holes 16. It will thus be seen that the release member is mounted as a lever and in conjunction with the lever 26 constitutes acompound lever mechanism, the release member being thus supported in parallel relation to said field so as to cause a ball in any of the pockets to be received to an equal depth therein, and when operated, to permit said release member to be retained in parallel relation to said field.

- If desired said member can be provided with the convex portions 31 registering with the openings 16 so that the ball will be raised to' the very surface of said field, thus eliminating any impediment to the proper return of the ball which might exist due to the thickness of the metal or field 10.

I claim:

1. In a toy for indoor use, the combination with a field, of a miniature player supported by said field, guide means upon the field and inclined toward the region of the player, and 'a club mounted upon the player to strike a ball, the end of said club being disposed in the path of a ball which is actuated toward said player by said guide means so as to act as a stop for the ball and alutgmatically position it to be struck by the c u I 2. In a toy adapted for indoor use, the combination with a field, of a miniature player supported along said field so as to be rotatable about a vertical axis thereof,

said player being provided, with a club mounted thereupon for swingingmovement so as to strike and project a ball along said field, said club being mounted upon a pin rotatably mounted upon said player, and slidable longitudinally thereof within its bearing.

3. In a toy, the combination with a ball and a fieldtherefor, said 'field having a plurality of holes to receive said ball against movement along the field, of release means mounted beneath said field and in spaced parallel relation thereto, and means for raising said release means into contiguity to said field to raise said ball caught within one of said holes and permit the same.v to roll out upon the field.

4C. The combination as in claim 3 wherein the means for raising said release member comprises a lever extending beneath said release means to an end thereof, said release means being pivotally supported upon .said lever. at said end.

5. The combination as in claim 3 wherein the means for raising said release member comprises a lever, said. lever being pivotally mounted at a point in proximity to said release means, and the long arm,- thereof extending beneath said release means, said re lease means being pivoted upon the lever adjacent to an end thereof and at a point remote from the pivotal point of said lever, said release means being arranged to constitute a lever of the third class and to be actuated into contiguity to said field by abutment thereof with said field when raised by said lever. V

6. In a toy for indoor use, the combination with a field, of a miniature player supported by said field, a club mounted upon said player at a side thereof for swinging movement to strike a ball on the field, said club being pivoted upon a pin which is disposed at an angle with the horizontal, the end. of said pin at said club being uppermost whereby said clubis arranged to swing at an angle to the vertical and with the end of the club in spaced relation to the player, said club being secured to the pin and the pin being journaled in the player, and means being provided whereby said pin can be rotated to swing the club and whereby the pin can be moved along its bearing to vary the position of said club laterally of the player.

7. In a toy, the combination with an inclined field, of a projector positioned at the lower end of said field and adapted to strike and project a ball upon said field, holes being provided at the upper end of said field to receive said ball when so projected, and means beneath said field for raising said ball to the level of the field to permit the same to return to the player automatically, said means serving to retain said ballat a predetermined depth when the same is initially received within a hole as aforesaid.

8. The combination as in claim 7 wherein said projector is arranged for pivotal move ment about a vertical axis to vary the angular throw of the ball.

9. The combination as in claim 7 wherein said field comprises guides at the lower end thereof for directing the ball toward the player when the same returns down the field, said projector having a head extending across said field between said guides to stop the ball.

10. In a toy, the combination with a field, of a i projector arranged for striking and projecting a ball across said field, said projector being mounted for rotation about a vertical axis, said projector having a stop pin and said field having a slot to receive said pin and limit the angular rotation of said projector.

11. The combination as in claim 10 wherein said projector comprises an arm tiltably supported thereby and arranged to be swung for striking saidball in a direction as determined by the rotational position of the projector.

12. In a toy, the combination with a field, of a projector located at one end thereof, a plurality of holes being provided Within said field located in spaced relation to said projector, a plate beneath said field and lying in spaced parallel relation thereto, and a lever supporting said plate at a plurality of points and arranged to lift said plate at an angle to said field so that an end of said plate -strikes said field causing said plate to tilt upon one of its points of support upon the lever so as to come into parallel abutment relation with said field.

13. The combination as in claim 12 wherein said lever is retained in normal unoperated position by resting-at an end thereof upon a support which sustains said field.

In testimony whereof we aflix our slgnatures.

BRAM P. MENDES. JACOB LUDWIG LANNERS. 

